Seth
by FemaleChauvinist
Summary: When Leah finds Seth fallen ill in the woods, Jacob knows there's only one person who will be able to help him…even if he's the last person a werewolf wants to ask.


**Disclaimer:** While the attempt has been made to be medically accurate, some artistic license has been taken, and statements made by Carlisle and other medical personnel are not to be regarded as authoritative.

Recognizable characters and plotlines are the property of Stephenie Meyer; all original characters and story © 2017 FemaleChauvinist.

 _Do not post without permission. Do not copy/print without including the above disclaimer in its entirety._

 **A/N: The date of this story is correct for my alternate history, in which Bree also survives and is adopted by the Cullens; see my profile for more information on her power with animals. Mandy is Jacob's younger sister, and Seth's imprint. (By the way, I really have no idea if cell phones even have call waiting, let alone call waiting caller ID, especially ten years ago… Oh, well!) Barbie**

 _October 2005_

 _Nessie five months A/E two and a half years_

 **Jacob**

I was home for once; Bells and Edward had gone off with Nessie, and I wasn't about to hang around the mausoleum without her. So I was in my shed, tinkering around with my motorcycle, when my phone rang.

I wiped my hands on my jeans before picking it up. "Hello?"

"Jake, it's Sue Clearwater," she said, soundly slightly breathless.

"Sue. What's up; something wrong?"

"Is Seth there with you?"

"No…should he be?" I wasn't the kid's babysitter, for cryin' out loud.

"I — don't know. He left last night, Jake…he hasn't come back."

"He leave in wolf form?"

"I don't know; maybe! I sent Leah out after him an hour ago, but I haven't heard back…Charlie's here, Jake, and he's talking about getting together a search party!"

I shrugged, leaning back against my workbench. "Let 'im; what harm can it do?"

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "But, Jake, if they find him — if he's in wolf form and they find him —"

They would shoot him.

I was about to suggest I phase and see if I could pick up his thoughts — why Leah hadn't done that to begin with, I couldn't imagine — when my phone beeped in my ear.

"Hang on, Sue; I've got another call coming through."

I pulled the phone from my ear to glance at the caller ID. "Sue, it's Leah; I'll get back to you later." I ended her call and picked up on Leah's without waiting for a reply. "Leah?"

"What took you so long?" she demanded.

"I was on the phone with your mother," I explained. "Did you find him?"

"Yes." Her voice sounded like she was about to break into tears. "He's sick, Jacob; real sick."

And here I'd thought werewolves didn't get sick. "All right; stay calm. Where are you?"

"Hit the river about a mile upstream from the leeches; head upstream and then follow my scent in."

"All right. Be there in a few minutes, Leah."

I started out at a believable jog, scrolling down the numbers on my phone as I ran…never woulda dreamed there'd be a day I'd have the leeches on speed dial.

"Jacob?" Esme's voice sounded surprised as she answered.

"Yeah. Esme, is the doc home?"

"No, he's at the hospital. Is something wrong, Jacob?"

"I just got a call from Leah that Seth's sick. Get in touch with Doc; get him home as soon as possible. I'm on my way to them now; I'll be bringing him back to your house."

"Of course, Jacob," she said, concern trilling through her voice. "I'll call Carlisle right away."

"Thanks, Esme." I shoved the phone into my pocket and shifted into an all-out run as I hit the woods.

Leah's scent was easy to follow, and I soon came upon her sitting on the ground beside Seth. He lay in wolf form on the forest floor, whimpering softly as shudders ran over his body. His eyes were open but staring and glassy; he was breathing in short pants.

I dropped to my knees beside him, resting a hand on the side of his face. "Seth, buddy, can you hear me?"

He weakly tried to thrust his muzzle against my hand; his nose felt hot and dry.

"Hey, Seth, you're gonna be fine."

" _How_ , Jake?" Leah whispered. "We can't take him to the emergency room — do you think a vet…?"

I snorted. "Right, Leah. Like a vet's gonna treat a giant wolf — even if his system _isn't_ odd somehow."

Leah rubbed her eyes hard with the back of her wrist. "Don't be cruel, Jake," she snapped.

I softened. "I already called Esme; she's getting Dr Fang home."

Leah snarled, and I sighed. "Look, I know, Leah, but what option do we have? He may be a vamp, but he's the only doctor who knows what we are. Look, I'm gonna phase and see if I can get him in human form." The alpha command was always stronger when I was in the same form as the one I was commanding.

 _Seth,_ I ordered, _phase back._

He tried. His body convulsed, and he whined pitifully. But he couldn't manage it.

 _All right,_ I thought, releasing him from the command. _All right, buddy; just relax._ I touched my nose to his in a comforting gesture before phasing back.

"He can't do it," I said shortly, pulling on my pants as Leah studiously avoided looking in my direction. I shoved my feet into my shoes without socks and crouched down in front of him, not bothering to put on my shirt. "Help me get him on my shoulders."

"Are you sure you can…?" Leah whispered, doing as I asked.

"Got to, don't I?" I stood slowly, grunting a little from Seth's weight; good thing he was still just an overgrown pup. "'S not so bad. Look, Leah; call Esme; tell her I'm bringing him in in wolf form. Ask her to get Bree to the house.

"Bree?"

"Yeah. Maybe with her help he can phase; be a whole lot easier for Doc."

"I don't know their number, Jake."

I sighed. "Phone's in my pocket; number's right after Sam's. And go home after you call, Leah; your mother needs you."

I waited only long enough for Leah to dig the phone out of my pants pocket before starting off at a pace I thought I could keep up even with Seth's added weight.

His breathing seemed to grow even more labored as I ran, and I felt a knot of fear twisting my stomach. Werewolves just didn't get sick; they _didn't_. "Hang on, buddy; just hang on."

The doc's black car was pulling up in front of the house just as I emerged from the woods and jogged across the lawn; he got out and hurried to meet me. "Need a hand, Jake?"

"No," I said, slightly breathless; "I got him. I tried to get him to phase for you," I added as I walked beside him up to the house, "but he couldn't do it; I'm gonna try again with Bree."

He nodded, reaching to pull the door open for me. "It would help, but I'm sure I can manage if you can't."

Esme was there, watching with concern in her eyes as I carried Seth in. "Here, Jake; I made him a pallet on the floor."

"Thanks, Esme." I half fell to my knees beside the thick layer of blankets, and Esme and the doc helped lift Seth off my shoulders.

Dr Fang remained squatting beside him as I stood and stretched my shoulders back. "Get me some water, Esme."

He dipped his fingers in it when she brought it, putting them on Seth's tongue. He lapped feebly, but seemed hardly able to swallow.

I glanced toward the back of the room where Bree was. "Bree, I'm gonna phase outside and come back in. When I nod at you, give it everything you've got. Doc, wolf to human is pretty safe, and he probably couldn't hurt you much anyway, but you might not want to be that close to his mouth when he phases."

My fur brushed against the doorframe as I reentered the room. I nodded to Bree the same moment I gave Seth the alpha command.

The shudders ran over his body from head to tail, harder than when I'd tried this alone; his neck arched back.

"Jake, Bree, enough," Dr Fang said in a low voice. "He can't take anymore; I can manage with him in wolf form."

 _No, Bree! Keep going; we almost made it!_ I made the thought as wolfish as possible, hoping she could hear it.

With a final convulsion and a weak howl, Seth lay in human form on the pallet. He seemed even sicker than he had as a wolf; maybe Doc had been right and the strain of being forced to phase had been too much for him. _Bree. Tell them I'll be back as soon as I phase_.

When I returned, still fastening the snap on my jeans, they had moved Seth to lay on the big curved sofa, a heavy afghan pulled over him. Dr Fang bent over him, shining a penlight in his eyes. "Jake, how long has he been sick?" he asked without turning around.

"Don't know for sure; Sue said he went out last night, so I guess sometime after that."

"Has he vomited at all?"

"Not where we found him; don't know about before."

Dr Fang leaned in to sniff Seth's breath, but made no comment. "When you were phased, could you tell if he was in any pain?"

"Yeah…kind of…but it wasn't really anywhere specific…or maybe he's so out of it he couldn't tell where it was…I don't know."

"Bree?"

"His stomach, maybe," Bree said doubtfully. "But Jake's right; it wasn't really defined."

"All right." Doc took a syringe from his bag, filled it, and slid it into Seth's arm. "I left some supplies in the car; I'll be right back."

He returned in seconds, pausing to feel Seth's pulse before setting up an oxygen tank and placing the tubes in Seth's nose.

"What's wrong with him, Doc?" I demanded.

Dr Fang sighed. "It's poison of some sort, Jacob. I'm going to give him charcoal to neutralize any that's left in his stomach; I'll have to use a tube since he's not conscious enough to swallow. After that…we'll see."

My stomach clenched; surely he didn't mean there was a chance Seth wouldn't make it. "What was that shot you gave him?"

"Stimulant to strengthen his heart," Doc replied briefly, his attention focused on the stomach tube he was using.

"I'm going to start an IV," he said quietly after administering the charcoal and removing the tube; "he's pretty dehydrated. My guess is he did vomit at some point — which could be a good thing if it got rid of some of the poison."

If this was what he looked like after getting rid of some of it, I didn't want to know what it would have been like if he hadn't.

Dr Fang had just finished hooking up the IV line when Leah pushed the front door open. "Jake, Chief Swan drove us over — can he come in?"

"Yeah, Seth's human; it's fine."

Leah disappeared, and a moment later Chief Swan was ushering Sue through the door. She moaned softly when she saw Seth on the sofa. "Oh — my baby!"

"Kid oughta be in the hospital," the chief muttered. "I can call an ambulance…"

Dr Fang shook his head as he straightened from bending over Seth. "No thanks, Chief; I could have done that myself. I'll be taking care of Seth here."

"Yeah, but — it's not that I doubt your skill, Cullen, but the hospital's got equipment you don't have here…" He faltered slightly, taking in the "hospital equipment" Doc obviously _did_ have.

"Yes, I'm quite aware of what equipment they have at the hospital; I'll bring Seth in myself if I feel it would benefit him."

"Sure… Is it legal to treat him in your house like this, Cullen?"

Was it only my imagination, or was there an edge to Dr Fang's smile; an unnecessary flash of his teeth? "Going to arrest me, Chief?"

"No…ah…of course not." He turned, almost relieved, as his beeper sounded. Glancing at the number, he stepped outside to call in. That timing was almost too perfect to be coincidence…

Sue gave a gasping half sob, and Esme gently wrapped an arm around her. "Doctor…what is it?" Sue choked.

"Poison," Dr Fang said quietly. "I've given him charcoal to neutralize it; beyond that it's a matter of keeping him hydrated, keeping him from going into shock…" He trailed off as Chief Swan reappeared in the doorway.

"Sue, they need me back at the station; I gotta go. You gonna be all right here?"

She nodded mutely, and he hesitated awkwardly. "Look, Sue, he's your kid; if you want him in the hospital…"

"Dr Cullen can handle it," Sue whispered.

"Right, well, I'll check in later." And he was gone.

Dr Fang pulled a footstool over and sat at Seth's side, monitoring him more closely and accurately than any of the hospital equipment the chief thought was so great.

Not that I wouldn't have preferred to have Seth in the hospital myself. But let one nurse take his temperature, and if Dr Fang wasn't there to stop them they'd be giving him hypothermia trying to reduce his "fever."

Esme was softly soothing Sue, but Leah stood by herself, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression stoic. I crossed to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Leah?"

"I'm fine, Jake," she said shortly.

I put my arm around her, awkwardly rubbing her shoulder. "He's gonna be fine, Leah."

She softened, leaning into my side. "Thank you, Jake," she whispered. "For — everything."

I guided her to sit on the smaller of the two sofas, across from the one where Seth lay.

Esme gently urged Sue into the armchair. "I'm going to make you a cup of tea," she said softly. I nearly snorted; vampire or not, she was a typical woman — thought a cup of tea was the cure for anything. "Would you like some, dear?" she added, turning to Leah.

I tightened my hand warningly on her shoulder, and she merely shook her head.

Sue sipped halfheartedly at her tea when Esme brought it, but we sat barely moving through the day, all eyes fixed on Seth and the doc. His face remained serious, but I didn't see any indication that he thought Seth was growing worse. Esme was sympathetic toward Sue and concerned for Seth, but quietly confident in her husband. She really believed the doc could cure anything.

Guess it musta been hours later when Charlie showed up again; Esme opened the door when he knocked. "How's he doing?"

Dr Fang looked up. "Critical but stable."

"Sure you don't wanna take him in?"

"Yes; I don't want to move him."

"I was just going to fix something to eat, Chief; do you want anything?"

"Yeah, sure; thanks, Esme." He touched Sue's shoulder awkwardly and sat in the other armchair.

Esme came out a few minutes later with thick sandwiches. Charlie and I ate eagerly, but Sue merely picked out pieces of lettuce to nibble, and Leah acted as if she didn't even see the food.

"Eat, Leah," I ordered, wishing I could do the same for Sue.

She glared at me, but picked up the sandwich.

"Not hungry, Doc?" Charlie questioned.

Dr Fang smiled politely. "Maybe later," he said vaguely.

The chief shrugged, finishing his sandwich before standing up. "Well, I'm heading on home…need a lift, Sue?"

She shook her head. "I'm staying," she whispered.

"Sure…call if you need anything, all right?"

She managed a faint smile. "Thanks, Charlie."

"Yeah…sure. See you in the morning."

"Sue," Dr Fang said quietly when he had gone, "you're welcome to the bed in the guestroom."

She shook her head. "Thanks…but I couldn't sleep."

The doc's voice turned firm. "You're human, Sue; you need your rest. You aren't going to do any good sitting up here."

She stood, biting her lip. "You'll…call me if anything changes?"

"Of course. Esme, show her the way." So quickly I nearly missed it, he took something from his bag and pressed it into Esme's hand as she passed. Sleeping pills, I guessed.

Leah yawned, pulling her legs up onto the sofa.

Doc smiled. "I'd offer you two beds, but I know you'd refuse…we only have the one unused."

I grimaced, knowing what they _used_ them for. "'S okay, Doc; werewolves can crash anywhere." Leah was already out, sliding down from my shoulder to pillow her head on my leg.

It would have felt a whole lot more awkward if I hadn't been in her head enough to know she thought of me as a brother more than anything. Most of the time she was more or less annoyed with me, but in times like this she was glad I was there to call on.

Leaning my head against the back of the sofa, I let sleep claim me.

 **oOo**

I woke to the faint light just before dawn. Dr Fang sat exactly where I had seen him last, except a thick book lay open across his legs. Huh. My vision even in human form was better than the average person's, but I sure couldn't see to _read_ in this light.

Someone had put a pillow behind my head, and had taken off Leah's shoes and covered her with a blanket. Musta been Esme.

"Hey, Doc…how is he?" I spoke in a low voice, trying not to wake Leah…not that I really had to worry about it.

"About the same…his breathing does seem to be improving some, though."

"Do you…think I should bring Mandy back here?" I couldn't make myself put into words what I was really asking.

"Only if you think her presence would significantly help him. We're going to pull him through this, Jake."

"You weren't so sure yesterday," I said harshly.

"Last night was critical," he explained. "He made it through…I won't say he's out of danger, but his chances are a lot higher."

"I'll wait on getting Mandy, then. Having her here would help him, but I don't want her seeing him like this."

Dr Fang shrugged. "That's your decision."

Leah raised her head from my leg, blinking sleepily. "What time'sh it?" she mumbled.

"Almost four thirty," the doc answered without looking at any clock.

Leah yawned and pushed the blanket back, stumbling across the room to the bathroom.

"Was she awake?" Dr Fang questioned.

I chuckled. "Nope," I answered, rubbing my thigh where she had been lying. I winced as the blood flowed back into my foot. She was a nightmare to wake for patrol duty; some of the wolves preferred to run double shift themselves. "Think I'll leave her the sofa." I got up, carefully testing my tingling foot before making my way to the armchair. "Don't tell Ness Leah was asleep in my lap."

Dr Fang chuckled. "She's a little young to care, Jake."

"Now, yeah. But she'll remember it, and in ten years it'll make her jealous."

He chuckled again. "My lips are sealed."

Leah reappeared, her eyes half closed as she groped her way back to the sofa. She fell into it, pulling the blanket back over herself as she curled into the cushions. I knew she was already asleep again.

 **oOo**

"Any idea what you ate, Seth?" Doc questioned late the next afternoon. He had pronounced Seth out of danger by mid-morning, and now he was half sitting up on the sofa as Dr Fang checked him again.

Seth shrugged sheepishly. "Nice piece of meat was just lying there; seemed a shame to waste it."

Leah made a disgusted noise; she hated eating raw. Didn't do any good to tell her it was natural for wolves.

Sue smiled tearfully, wrapping her arms around Seth's shoulders. "It doesn't matter…I'm just glad you're all right."

I growled low in the back of my throat. All right, if his mother wasn't gonna talk to him about this, then his alpha would have to. "Seth. You don't just eat dead things you find lying around; you don't know how long they've been dead or what killed them."

"It smelled all right, Jake," he whined.

"Yeah, so obviously that doesn't mean anything. You don't kill it, you don't eat it. Got that?"

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"And what were you doing in wolf form, anyway? I thought you were going to stop phasing so Mandy won't get much older than you."

Seth gave me his eager grin. "I like being a wolf, Jake. I thought just once…"

I shook my head sharply. "Doesn't work that way, Seth. You phase, you stop aging, and we don't know for how long. And from what just happened, I'd say you have a lot of maturing to do before you're ready to marry my sister!"

"Jacob," Sue whispered.

"Pack discipline, Sue," I half snarled. "Let me handle it."

"I'm sorry, Jake," Seth whimpered. Rolling half on his side, he pulled his hands up like paws, "showing throat" as if he had been in wolf form. "Don't be mad?"

I sighed, fighting back a smile at his antics. "Mad, Seth? You had me scared stiff, buddy; I wasn't sure you were even gonna make it all the way back to the house. Next time I see you fighting for your life like that, it had better be because you jumped into danger to save Mandy, not because you're a foolish pup who can't keep his teeth out of poisoned meat. Got that?"

"Yeah, Jake. I'll grow up."

I snorted. "You'd better. Can you keep from phasing on your own, or do you need an alpha command?"

"No, Jake; I can do it."

"Good." I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good to see you feeling better, buddy."

The End

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


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